Match Preview: Mendiola FC 1991 2021 Copa Paulino Alcantara — Match Preview and Quotes from Head Coach Yu Hoshide

On the night Philippine football made its return, Kaya FC-Iloilo notched a 2-0 statement win over the Azkals Development Team. A revamped defensive structure kept the young guns in check through 90 minutes, while the attacking side found its footing in the second half to put the match away. After a perfect start to their Copa campaign, Coach Yu Hoshide had nothing but positive takeaways from the team’s performance on Sunday night.

“All positives against ADT because, we hadn’t been playing in official matches for four months. That is really hard for the players, but we were able to win with a clean sheet—especially since ADT just came back from Singapore and had good motivation,” Coach stated.

Galvanized after returning from a difficult stint in the U-23 Asian Qualifiers, ADT were able to keep Kaya off the scoreboard in the first half. However, half-time adjustments and improved execution got Iloilo back on track—with key contributions coming from defenders no less. Audie Menzi picked up two assists on the day, while Simone Rota got himself a late birthday gift with a goal to seal the deal. Having gotten the chance to finally see his new formation and tactics in action, Coach Hoshide has had time to take note of their areas of improvement going forward.

“We might change a little bit, especially on the attacking side. We have to be better game by game—including myself—so after the final whistle against ADT, we were already thinking about how we will play against Mendiola,” he admitted.

The Manila-based side find themselves in between generations, calling up several exciting prospects from San Beda to play alongside their established veterans. Looking to balance long and short term strategy, there’s a wildcard element to this year’s squad—which could be especially dangerous given the unpredictable nature of Cup matches. An infusion of young legs into their tried and true counter-attacking system will pose quite the challenge for Kaya’s more methodical, build up style of play.

The last time the two teams met on the field was during the 2020 PFL Season, with the hard-fought match ending in a draw. Splitting points with Mendiola at this stage eventually proved costly, as the undefeated Kaya came within a single point of winning last year’s PFL Title. Coach Yu explains how the memory of that fateful match will fuel the players in the game later today.

“Yes, especially since Mendiola is a really organized team and they have strong fighting spirit, so we have to have extra motivation to go for the win.”

Now firmly in the driver’s seat in Group B after netting three points in the opener, a win would guarantee Kaya top seeding in the Semi-Final round. Match Day 2 of the Copa Paulino kicks off at 4pm, and you can find links to the livestreams down below.

– facebook.com/SMARTSportsPhilippines
– facebook.com/pusopilipinas
– facebook.com/WeArePFL
– youtube.com/c/PhilippinesFootballLeague/featured